As his civil fraud trial nears its conclusion, Donald Trump has continued his pattern of characterizing the numerous accusations leveled against him as political persecution by claiming, without evidence, that the New York attorney general was involved in a conspiracy because of her visits to the White House.
The former president was sued by Letitia James, the attorney general of New York, in 2022 for allegedly misleading banks and insurance companies by routinely inflating his wealth on financial records. James has requested that the court prohibit Trump from conducting business in New York and fine him $370 million.
On Thursday, the last day of the trial, Trump posted an article from the right-wing website The Gateway Pundit—which is known for spreading false information—that stated James visited the White House three times between April 2022 to August 2023.
That "details of her White House visits were not immediately clear" was stated on the website. "The purpose of the visit was to illegally coordinate the prosecution of your favorite President, me," Trump remarked on Truth Social, further characterizing the trial as a "witch hunt."
According to White House records, Biden did not meet with James on any of the visits, which often drew dozens, if not hundreds, of individuals.
Records made public by the White House indicate that James was present at a celebration hosted by Vice President Kamala Harris on August 31, 2023, honoring Black women elected to office nationwide. The turnout was over 200 individuals.
James met with Harris and the attorneys general of seven states and DC on July 18, 2023, to explore strategies to break the illegal fentanyl supply chain.
James was also there for the celebration of Ketanji Brown Jackson's confirmation to the United States Supreme Court on April 8, 2022, marking the first Black woman to hold that position. According to the guest book, the party drew more than 400 guests.
The White House stated that Biden skipped the fentanyl supply chain meeting and the reception for Black political officials. The White House said that Biden did not engage with the public during the ceremony in April 2022; instead, he spoke only on the South Lawn.